The Grownup Isolation
by NerdForestGirl
Summary: Connected to my trilogy of Cohabitation Experiment, Proposal Reaction, and Progeny Adjustment. Sheldon and Amy are in much need for a weekend away from their children, Ally and Lee, so they send the kids to spend the weekend with Uncle Leonard and Aunt Penny.
1. Chapter 1

Amy was at home with her children for the day. It was a Thursday, so Sheldon was at work. She was working with Ally on her schoolwork while Lee took his nap. Amy smiled fondly at Ally while she read her storybook out loud. Amy had always loved _Sarah, Plain and Tall_ as a little girl, so she was sharing it with her daughter. Amy and Sheldon had developed a curriculum for their children that they believed was pretty well rounded. It was obviously a little heavy in the sciences, but covered the humanities pretty well too.

Amy wanted to find a preschool for the kids, but they hadn't been able to find one that lived up to their standards yet. Sheldon was much less enthusiastic about finding the kids a school. He said their schedule worked fine and that the kids needed specialized attention. Amy couldn't exactly disagree with that, but it still frustrated her to spend so little time with her husband.

"Okay, Ally. That's enough reading today," Amy said as Ally finished the chapter. "How about we start making lunch?"

"Awww, but Mommy, I like this story," Ally complained.

"I know you do, but we can finish it later," Amy told her.

"Okay," Ally said sadly. Amy liked that her daughter liked learning so much. It was rarely a struggle to get her to sit down to do her lessons. "Can we have Spaghetti-Os with hot dogs in them?"

"Is that what Daddy gave you for lunch yesterday?"

"No. Yesterday was Wednesday. That means it's grilled cheese day. Why does Daddy have special foods for days, but you don't?" Ally asked.

"Daddy is special. It makes him feel better to have some foods some days and some food other days. Just like it makes him feel better when we clean up all of our toys at the end of the day. We do those things because we love him and want him to feel better," Amy explained. It was clear that Ally was starting to notice some of Sheldon's quirks. It was also clear that she was just as in love with her father as ever, but she noticed that some of the things that he did were a little strange. At least Ally knew a different version of Sheldon than Amy had first met. Amy shuddered to think of what it would be like for Ally if her daddy didn't like cuddling with her.

"Okay. We can have Spaghetti-Os if you also have some salad," Amy said.

"Okay," Ally said and then she grabbed her mother's hand so that they could walk to the kitchen. Amy found in amusing how much Ally liked touching other people. She would hug or take someone's hand easily and she loved being held. That was one way that she wasn't really like either of her parents.

"I need to go get your brother. I'll be right back," Amy said after she sat Ally down at the kitchen table. She ran upstairs to get Lee and found him in his crib quietly playing with his teddy bear.

"Ma," Lee said.

"Are you ready for lunch, kiddo?" Amy asked as she pulled him out of the crib. She quickly changed him before taking him downstairs. She put him in his chair and went to wash her hands and start making the kids lunch.

Lee started slamming his tiny fists on the tray in front of him. "Hey, kiddo, lunch will be up in just a minute," Amy told him.

"Mommy, can I have some apple juice?" Ally asked.

Amy was used to the hectic atmosphere. When she was at work she had monkeys screaming at her and when she was at home the kids were usually yelling at her. She wondered briefly if it was easier or harder for Sheldon. He spent every other day in relative quiet in his office at the University.

Amy gracefully put food in front of both of the kids and got them both some juice. Then she made herself a sandwich before joining the kids for lunch. Amy loved the hectic normal of her life with her children. Sometimes she looked back and wondered how she lived without it. It was especially thought provoking when she spent most of her life believing that she would never be married with two beautiful children.

They finished eating and Amy got them both started on new lessons. Lee was working on learning his letters and numbers while Ally was working on addition and subtraction. Amy put the dishes in the dishwasher and sat down to work with Lee.

She put the blocks in front of Lee and they practiced counting to ten as she pointed to the numbers. They had just gotten to ten when the front door opened. Ally got out of her chair and ran to the door.

"Daddy!" she screamed when she saw him. Sheldon picked Ally up and carried her back to the table where she had been working.

He kissed Amy on top of her head. "Water main break at the university. Half the campus is closed until next week," Sheldon explained.

"Wow," Amy said.

"What are you guys working on?" Sheldon asked. He sat down next to Ally and looked over her shoulder.

"Lee is making excellent strides in his counting and Ally working on some addition and subtraction," Amy said.

"Wonderful. Did you guys have lunch yet?" Sheldon asked.

"We had Spaghetti-Os," Ally said.

"I can make you a sandwich if you want to watch the kids while they do their schoolwork," Amy offered.

"Would you? Some chips if we have any," Sheldon said.

"Of course," Amy said as she went over to make Sheldon some food. Sheldon leaned over Ally's shoulder and checked her work. It looked good, so he moved over to sit next to Lee. "Do you want to count to ten with me?"

Lee started counting, and Sheldon smiled when Lee got all the way to ten without needing any help. "Good job, kiddo," Sheldon said. Then he started going over the letters on the worksheet in front of him. Sheldon talked about the letter A, and apples, and showed Lee the ASL sign for A. They started on B when Amy brought over Sheldon's lunch.

"Thanks. You can go take a bath or a nap or something if you want. I've got this," Sheldon said.

Amy wasn't sure what to do. It had been forever since she had had a quiet afternoon to herself, but it wasn't Sheldon's day to teach the kids.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Of course. I mean this in the best possible way, but you look tired. I've got your write up about what you were going to cover with them. Go relax," Sheldon insisted.

"You're the best," Amy said.

"I know," Sheldon said back with a smile.

Amy went upstairs to her and Sheldon's bedroom. She ran a bath and changed into her robe. She slid into the warm bath and it felt amazing. Sheldon had a point. She was pretty tired. Between work and the kids it seemed like she didn't get enough time off. She wouldn't trade either her career or her kids for the world, but it was nice that she could have a few minutes to herself. Thanks, water main break.

After she was in the bath for a few minutes, Amy heard Sheldon walk into the bedroom. "Hey, beautiful," he told her.

"Hey. I thought you were helping the kids with their schoolwork," Amy said.

"I put on a video so I could come see you for a second," Sheldon said as he sat on the edge of the bathtub. He grabbed the washcloth from Amy and started running it over the back of her neck and then down her back as she leaned forward.

"Thanks," Amy said when he was done.

"That video was only fifteen minutes long, so I should probably go back down there," Sheldon said.

"Thanks, Sheldon. I love you," Amy said. He was headed toward the door, but turned back at her words. Sheldon leaned down and kissed his wife before going back to the door.

"I love you, too. Take a nap. We'll wake you for dinner," Sheldon said.

Amy got out of the tub and put on a pair of pajama pants, one of Sheldon's t-shirts and got into bed. She fell asleep pretty quickly. It seemed like only a moment later, that Amy was being jumped on by her daughter.

"Mommy, Daddy said to come wake you up. He ordered pizza because it's Thursday. Does he always have pizza on Thursday? Can we have pizza on Thursdays?" Ally asked.

Amy just grabbed her daughter and pulled in for a hug and cuddled her close. "Mommy, Daddy said for me to wake you up, not take a nap with you."

"You don't want to take a nap with me? You always want to sleep in here," Amy complained.

"I'll take a nap with you, Mommy," Ally offered, but then the doorbell rang.

"I guess we should go have dinner," Amy said. She kept Ally in her arms and carried her little girl down the stairs.

"There are my girls," Sheldon said when they arrived in the kitchen. Sheldon was sitting next to Lee and cutting up a piece of pizza so his son could eat it.

Amy took Ally over to the pizzas and they inspected them. One was a supreme and the other was just cheese. Amy grabbed them each a slice of the cheese and they sat down at the table with Sheldon and Lee.

"Did you have a good nap?" Sheldon asked.

"I did. Thank you," Amy said. She was still in the pajamas that she had worn and her hair was probably tangled, but she smiled at her husband and he smiled back at her.

"You look better. Though, I think I'm going to need to go find you some superhero themed pajamas if you are going to insist on stealing my shirts like this all the time," Sheldon said.

"I don't steal them because they are superhero themed. I steal them because they are comfortable, and if you notice, this is the shirt you wore yesterday. That means is smells like you. I need reminders when I hardly ever get to see you," Amy said.

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Sheldon said seriously. It had been a bone of contention between them that Amy felt like they didn't see each other enough. Sheldon didn't exactly disagree, but he didn't see any other way. He didn't want the kids in daycare, and neither of them were willing to give up their careers.

"Well, maybe since you won't really be able to go to work this weekend anyway, maybe the kids could go stay with Penny and Leonard and we could spend some time alone this weekend?" Amy suggested.

"That's an idea. We can talk about it later. Plus, we'll need to find out if Leonard and Penny would be willing to take the kids," Sheldon said.

"Fine," Amy said before digging into her food.

Later after the kids were in bed, Sheldon walked into the kitchen where Amy cleaning up. He put his arms around her. "I'm sorry about earlier. I just don't like fighting in front of the kids. My parents fought in front of me all the time. It was terrible," Sheldon said.

"We weren't fighting, Sheldon," Amy said.

"Not yet, but we've had this discussion many times. You know how I feel and I know how you feel, but I just can't see a way around it," Sheldon said.

"I just miss you so much," Amy said. She twisted in Sheldon's arms so that she was facing him. "We sleep in the same bed every night, but I feel like I only actually see you on Sundays."

Sheldon kissed her. "I know. I'm going to call Leonard right now about the kids this weekend. I know it's just a quick fix, but we'll try to come up with a better solution."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I forgot to mention the kids ages before that last chapter. Lee is 2 and Ally is 4 1/2.**

* * *

Sheldon let Amy go and he went to called Leonard. "Hey, Leonard, can I ask for a favor?" Sheldon asked when his friend picked up.

"What's up?"

"Amy and I were wondering if you guys could take the kids this weekend," Sheldon said.

"I'll have to talk to Penny about it, but I don't think that should be a problem. Is everything okay?" Leonard asked.

"I've just been neglecting my duties as a husband. The roles of physicist and father have been taking up too much of my time. I wish I could go back to the days when I could just buy Amy a tiara and all would be forgiven," Sheldon said sadly.

"Hold on. I'm going to go ask Penny right now so that we can get you an answer right now," Leonard said. Sheldon waited for a few moments before Leonard came back on the line. "Yeah. Just drop them off any time after four tomorrow, and we'll keep them until Sunday night. Does that work?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Leonard," Sheldon said.

"Anytime, buddy," Leonard said.

Sheldon went back to Amy. "They'll take them around dinnertime tomorrow until Sunday night. Do you want to leave work a little early tomorrow and we'll go to dinner?"

"Yeah. That sounds nice," Amy said.

"Come on. I'll finish cleaning up tomorrow," Sheldon said. He was willing to let that go because he needed to spend some time alone with his wife. She was the only thing that could distract him that much. Even after all of these years.

"What?"

"You heard me. Let's go to bed," Sheldon said.

"But I haven't finished cleaning," Amy said.

"It doesn't matter. Come on," Sheldon said pulling on Amy's arm. She gave up and put down the cloth she had been wiping the counter with, and they went upstairs together.

Sheldon locked the door on their bedroom and changed into his pajamas. Then he took Amy's shirt off.

"I won't sleep in your shirts anymore," Amy said.

Sheldon laughed. "That's not why I'm taking it. Lie down on your stomach."

Then Sheldon straddled Amy's hips and started rubbing her back. "Until we can figure out a way to spend more time together, I'll try to make the time we have together better," Sheldon told her.

"Me too," Amy agreed.

Sheldon worked his way through the tight muscles in Amy's back and shoulders. He loosened each of them with his fingers. He was about to start making a few moves to get Amy out of the rest of her clothes when there was a small knock at the door.

"Mommy, Daddy, I had a bad dream," said a small voice outside of their room.

Amy sighed and pulled Sheldon's t-shirt back on before getting up to open the door. Ally stood there in tears. "Hey, sweetheart," Amy said as she leaned down. "What was your dream about?"

"The monster who lives under my bed found a way back in and got around Daddy's traps," Ally said.

Amy sighed. This was an ongoing issue that they hadn't found a solution for. Amy debated between taking Ally back to her room and just letting her sleep with them. She looked back at Sheldon. He came over and picked Ally up. "We talked about this. There are no monsters anywhere in your room. This whole house is monster proof," Sheldon said.

"Daddy, they got in anyway," Ally said and she started crying again.

Sheldon and Amy looked at each other. Amy nodded slightly. "Okay. You can sleep with Mommy and me tonight. There aren't any monsters. I promise, but if you are scared you can stay with us," Sheldon said.

Ally wrapped her arms tightly around Sheldon's neck. "Thank you, Daddy," she said and her tears finally stopped. Amy reached over and rubbed Ally's back before they got back into their bed. Ally got in the middle of the bed and wrapped her arms around Sheldon. Amy put her hand back on Ally's back and she and Sheldon watched her fall asleep.

"Sorry," Sheldon said quietly once Ally was asleep.

"I still got a back rub. You were the one who got shortchanged," Amy said.

Sheldon wondered when the tables had turned. He was the one who wanted sex while Amy was the one who didn't care.

"You used to want me all the time," Sheldon said.

"Babe, I didn't mean to imply that I didn't want you now. I'm just saying that I got something and you didn't," Amy explained. Other than for a little while after each of the kids were born, Amy almost always wanted Sheldon. It was part of the reason it killed her that they didn't spend much time together anymore.

"Oh. Okay," Sheldon said. Amy smiled at how relieved he looked. They just lay there talking quietly for a while until Sheldon started falling asleep. Amy missed just talking with Sheldon, so it was a nice chance to just be together.

Amy drifted off at some point but was woken up when Ally woke up. Ally was trying to climb over her to get out of the bed. Amy put her arms around Ally and pulled her close to her chest.

"Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. You and Daddy were sleeping, so I was gonna go somewhere else," Ally said.

"How about some breakfast?" Amy asked. She looked at the clock. She still had a half an hour before she needed to be up to get ready for work. She wouldn't be able to fall back asleep in that time, so she just got out of bed. Amy and Ally stopped to get Lee before they went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Friday is French toast day," Ally informed her mother when they were in the kitchen.

"Okay," Amy said. It was usually Sheldon's day to feed the kids breakfast, but she got out the stuff to make French toast anyway.

Well, first she put on a pot of coffee. Amy hadn't started drinking coffee until after the kids were born, but now she wondered how she lived without it. Then she got out the stuff to make breakfast. Amy put on a video for the kids to watch while she cooked. Once there was a reasonable pile of French toast, she went and got the kids.

Meanwhile, Sheldon reached across the bed only to find it empty. He frowned and opened his eyes to see what his hands already knew. His wife wasn't there. Neither was his daughter.

Then he smelled food, so he dragged himself out of bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, Sheldon found himself in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Daddy. Mommy's making breakfast, but don't worry, I told her that it's French toast day," Ally said as soon as she saw her father.

"Yes," Amy said. "She is keeping me up to date with your breakfast schedule."

Sheldon went over and put his arms around Amy and kissed her neck. The he grabbed a plate and some of the food that Amy had made. Then he made Lee's cereal and helped him eat in between bites of his own.

Ally was covered in syrup by the time she was done eating. "You are so sticky," Amy said when she saw Ally.

"Do you really give her French toast every week?" Amy asked.

"Yes. She usually manages to eat it a little more cleanly than that though," Sheldon said.

"Sorry, Mommy," Ally said.

"Can you give her a bath? I need to start getting ready for work," Amy said.

"Of course."

Amy kissed Sheldon before going back upstairs. His lips were sweet from the syrup and she wanted to keep kissing him, but the kids were right there. It wasn't the most appropriate place for a make out session with her husband. At least they would have the night together.

Sheldon finished feeding Lee his breakfast while Ally kept talking to him about how excited she was to spend the weekend with Noah, Leonard, and Penny.

"Aunt Penny always does my hair and sometimes she paints my nails," Ally explained. Sheldon could believe it. He knew that Leonard and Penny were trying to have another baby and they were both hoping for a girl.

"Okay. How about that bath?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes, please," Ally said. "I didn't mean to get so sticky and I don't like it."

Sheldon got up and put Lee in his play pen for a little while he took Ally back upstairs. He went into the kids' bathroom and started running her bath. He washed her up before wrapping her in a big towel and taking her into her room to get her dressed for the day.

"Giraffes or The Flash?" Sheldon asked as he held up two t-shirts for her to choose from.

"Giraffes," Ally said then she held her arms over her head so that Sheldon could put the shirt on her. Then he finished her usual outfit of tights and a skirt. Then he took her hand they went downstairs to get Lee and get started on the lessons for the day.

Then Amy came through, ready for work. She kissed both of her children on their heads. "Be good, learn lots," she told them both. Then she kissed Sheldon. "I'll see you at five?" she asked.

"Yes. Call me if you'll be late," Sheldon said.

"Okay. I love you guys," Amy said as she walked to the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Sheldon did the kids' lessons and fed them lunch like it was any other Friday. Then he took them upstairs to get them ready to go visit his friends. He packed them each a couple of changes of clothing and their pajamas. He also loaded up Lee's diaper bag and made sure that Ally had Kevin. Kevin was an inexplicably named monkey wearing a Flash t-shirt that Ally had received as a gift when she was born. She couldn't sleep without him.

Then Sheldon held Lee as they walked out to the car with Ally and Kevin in tow. He strapped them both into their car seats and took them the mile and a half to Leonard and Penny's house. Sometimes Sheldon missed being neighbors with his best friends, but at least they still lived close by.

Ally ran to the door while Sheldon was still getting Lee out of his seat, and she knocked on the door. He noticed that she knocked in a pattern of three sets of three knocks. He cringed, but at least she didn't yell, "Uncle Leonard, Aunt Penny, Noah," after each set. Sheldon never felt as self conscious about his behaviors as he did when his children replicated them.

The door opened while Sheldon was still walking up. Ally just ran into the house, and Sheldon yelled after her. "You need to wait to be invited in, Allison," Sheldon said.

She turned around and walked back out. "Sorry, Daddy. Sorry, Uncle Leonard," she said quietly.

"Come in," Leonard said, and Ally walked in much more calmly than she had before. "You can come in too, Lee. And I suppose your father is allowed to come in too."

"Sorry. We're working with her on her manners, but she just so excited to spend the weekend with you guys," Sheldon told him.

"Don't worry about it. Noah hasn't stopped talking about all the things he and Ally are going to do this weekend since Penny picked him up from school this morning. Also, he is hoping that Lee will play pirates with him," Leonard said as he took Lee from Sheldon's arms.

Sheldon walked into the house and put the kids' bags down on the floor near the door. He set Kevin down on top of them since Ally had left him in the car. He looked over and Ally was already settled in Penny's lap and talking to Noah.

"Thanks again for taking them," Sheldon said.

"No problem. We know it's important to get some grown up time in when you can. Plus, you guys watched Noah for a whole week last month while Penny and I went to that conference," Leonard said.

"Yeah. Plus, we love hanging out with these guys," Penny added.

"Do you want something to drink?" Leonard asked.

"No. I should get going. I am taking Amy to dinner," Sheldon explained.

He walked over to Ally and picked her up from Penny's lap. "Be good. I love you. Have a good weekend," Sheldon said before he kissed his daughter on the cheek and gave her back to Penny. Then he went over to Lee and did the same thing before handing him back to Leonard. He trusted his friends with his children, but it was still a little hard to leave them behind. At least he knew that they were nearby.

At home, Sheldon pulled into the driveway and Amy's car was already there. It must have taken him longer to take the kids over than he thought. He walked into the house and Amy was standing there taking off her shoes.

"Oh, hey. I just got home," Amy said.

Sheldon nodded and wrapped his arms around Amy. He kissed her with a lot more energy than he would have if the kids were around. Amy's hands found their way around his neck and kept him held to her.

When Sheldon did finally pull away from her, Amy said, "Oh, I've missed that."

"Me too."

Then they went to go get ready for dinner. Sheldon had made reservations at a restaurant at 7, so they had to leave relatively soon to get there in time. There was no more time for canoodling. At least there was a whole weekend alone to look forward too.

Sheldon put on a dress shirt and a tie and he watched as Amy put on a dress and makeup. He knew that she was dressing for the occasion, not him, but he always liked how she looked. She could wear her pajama pants and one of his old t-shirts and he would think she was beautiful. They had been together for ten years, and he still couldn't help but find her irresistible. If he didn't have such a good memory, he wouldn't believe there was a time that he tried to hide his feelings for her.

Amy turned around and saw Sheldon staring at her. She looked back in the mirror to make sure that she didn't have lipstick on her teeth or the like. Everything looked fine, and she looked back at Sheldon. He was still staring.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Nothing. Just enjoying my beautiful wife," Sheldon said.

"You just want to get lucky tonight," Amy said with a smirk.

"Yes. I suppose that's true. My wife is very beautiful, and I love making love with her," Sheldon said. Then he took her hand and they went downstairs. Sheldon got into the driver's seat of his car. He usually let Amy drive, but he figured she would probably want a glass or two of wine with her dinner.

Sheldon and Amy had a nice dinner together with no one screaming or chattering about what they learned that day or crying or throwing food. They just talked about life and were happy to be together in the moment. They both kind of missed their children, but a night without them was pleasant.

Ally and Noah were building a fort in Leonard and Penny's living room. They had already had dinner, and Lee was being read a story and being put to bed. Since they were big kids, they could stay up for a whole half an hour more. At home, Lee and Ally had the same bedtime, but here, Ally was treated like a big kid and could stay up as late as Noah.

Two of the kitchen chairs were being used to hold up the blanket roof while couch cushions were acting as walls. Noah and Ally were giggling from inside of the fort. Penny walked over and lifted up the blanket door and looked in on them.

"Are you guys gonna sleep in here tonight?" she asked.

"Can we?" Noah asked.

"I don't see why not," Penny said.

"Thanks, Mommy," Noah said.

"You still need to change into your pajamas, and I think you'll want some more pillows and blankets. Come on out," Penny told them. Then she helped them change and gather more pillows and put them in the fort. Then she kissed them both before she read them a story (absolutely no monsters because she had been warned that it had been a problem).

When Leonard returned to the living room Penny put her finger to her lips. "They're sleeping in their fort," she whispered. They walked to the kitchen to keep talking.

"He has such a crush on her," Leonard said.

"Yeah," Penny said with a smile. "They are so cute. We did good."

Leonard and Penny just kept talking in the kitchen for a while longer. Leonard was giving Penny a foot massage when Ally came out of the fort and walked over to them.

"Is your house monster proof like ours is?" Ally asked.

"Yes. Of course it is. Did you have a bad dream about monsters?" Leonard asked.

Ally nodded.

"Well, I happen to know that not only is our house monster proof, but monsters can never ever get into pillow forts and they are afraid of Noah. They would never ever get you in there," Leonard said.

"Really?" Ally asked.

"Yes. Your house and my house are the two very most safe places from monsters. Plus, we'll be out here until you fall back asleep, okay?" Leonard said. Then he took her hand and they went back over to the fort and he watched as she climbed back in and curled back under her blankets.

After the kids were quiet for over a half an hour, Leonard and Penny decided to go up to bed.

Sheldon and Amy got home and went straight up to their bedroom. Sheldon unzipped Amy's dress and then they both changed into pajamas. Sheldon was still hoping that he would get Amy out of those pajamas, but they were both pretty tired.

Sheldon pulled Amy's feet into his lap and started rubbing them. "Oh, wow. That feels amazing. We could have skipped the dinner if you were going to do that," Amy said.

"The dinner wasn't to get you into bed. The dinner was to have some time alone with you, silly," Sheldon told her.

"Still, you can do whatever you want to me if you rub my feet for five whole minutes," Amy said.

"Noted," Sheldon said as he kept his attention on his wife. After rubbing her feet for ten minutes, he let them go and moved to kiss her. She kissed him back hungrily and started pulling at his clothes. He was happy to remove them for her. Then he took hers as well. He enjoyed being able to take his time touching her body without worrying about a baby starting to cry or a child knocking at the door. They could just be together. When they were done, Sheldon held Amy and they didn't put any clothes back on.

They woke up together and just lay in bed for a while until they decided they wanted to go eat breakfast together. Sheldon cooked for Amy. Anything she wanted as he ignored his own breakfast schedule.


End file.
